1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to weapons, more particularly, the disclosure relates to a weapon that is integrated with a controller for controlling a robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advances in technology have allowed robots, such as unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned ground vehicles, to be used in military combative situations. The robots have at least one controller that controls the direction of the robots and other devices, such as video cameras, thermal detectors, etc., mounted on the robots. These robots can decrease the number of casualties that occurs during military combats. For example, the unmanned ground vehicle, such as Packbots™, can be used to view inside a building. The Packbots™ can be thrown inside the building through a window and they can be controlled at a place remote from the building to see what is inside the building before sending in soldiers. In another example, the unmanned aerial vehicle can be used to scan or survey a remote area away from the soldiers. The information gathered from the unmanned aircraft vehicle can help determine the soldiers next action. Currently, the robots are controlled by at least one controller that is separate from the soldiers' weapons. The controller is another item that the soldiers carry. It adds substantial weight and requires the soldiers to disengage their hands from their weapons in order for the soldiers to operate the controller.
From the above, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have systems apparatus and methods for communicating with a robot via a weapon that is integrated with a controller.